Official Final Results:

Transcription

1 2011/2012 World Series of Poker Circuit Caesars Atlantic City Event #7 No-Limit Hold em Buy-In: $500 (+55) Total Entries: 286 Total Prize Pool: $138,710 March 8-9, 2012 Official Final Results: 1 Abraham Araya CARROLLTON, TX, US $33,290 2 Wooyang Lin MORRISTOWN, NJ, US $20,573 3 Michael Wolf Staten Island, NY, US $14,928 4 Amanda Musumeci PHILADELPHIA, PA, US $11,014 5 Joseph Desanto New York, NY, US $8,260 6 Austen Johnson Woodsboro, MD, US $6,295 7 Justin Turner Manassas, VA, US $4,871 8 Christopher Halkitis Saint Louis, MO, US $3,828 9 Leo Whitt LOUISVILLE, KY, US $3, Mark Wahba CLEVELAND, OH, US $2, Mehul Brahmhatt Edison, NJ, US $2, Aaron Gamino NASHVILLE, TN, US $2, Rexford Mccaffrey Millville, NJ, US $2, Alexander Queen BETHLEHEM, PA, US $2, Michael Wolford Kannapolis, NC, US $2, Michael Campbell Freeport, NY, US $1, Ross Sontheimer Belmont, NC, US $1, Michael Mcguinness Toms River, NJ, US $1, Dawn Bogardus Odenton, MD, US $1, Jeffrey McAlister Corpus Christi, TX, US $1, Wazir Baksh QUEENS VALLEY, NY, US $1, Wu Zhou State College, PA, US $1, Dominick Summers MORRIS PLAINS, NJ, US $1, William Criego PRIOR LAKE, MN, US $1, Adam Lippert BROOKLYN, NY, US $1, Michael Lapadula MASSAPEQUA PARK, NY, US $1, Rodney Thomas Lithonia, GA, US $1, Stacy Ambrose Manteo, NC, US $ Paul Weidenfeld Alexandria, VA, US $940

2 30 Michael Woll MANAHAWKIN, NJ, US $940 Tournament Report: Twice as Nice Abe Araya Wins Second WSOP Circuit Gold Ring Becomes Leading Money Winner on WSOP Circuit, this Year WSOP Circuit at Caesars Atlantic City Crosses Midway Point -- Poker Action Continues through March 12 th Atlantic City, NJ (March 9, 2012) The marvel of crowning multi-gold ring winners continued Friday night in Atlantic City, when Abraham (Abe) Araya won his second World Series of Poker Circuit title this season. Araya topped a tough field in the $555 buy-in No-Limit Hold em tournament (Event #8), held at Caesars. One month earlier, Araya won the Main Event championship, held at the Choctaw Casino (Oklahoma). His previous win paid $270,380. This time, his earnings were a bit more modest amounting to $33,290. Nonetheless, Araya has already pocketed more than $300,000 this year on the WSOP Circuit alone, which is more than any other player. Araya s victory was well-earned. The 44-year-old airplane mechanic from the Dallas area survived the longest final table of any event played so far, outlasting each of his opponents in a 10 hours marathon. By the time he final hand was dealt at 3 am, he d vanquished every challenger and emptied the room, as supporters of other players gradually left in disappointment. There was nothing disappointing about Araya s victory. He is already guaranteed a seat in the WSOP Circuit National Championship, coming at season s end by virtue of his previous Main Event win. All the remains for Araya in the months ahead are the quest for more prize money and additional gold rings. At present, Michael Rosenbach leads all players in wins, with three victories this season. Araya now joins five other players who have won multiple titles this season, with a shot of catching the triple winner. Indeed, Araya s current roll in WSOP Circuit events follows a victory last Fall, when he won the T.J. Cloutier Classic, held in Oklahoma. That makes for three major victories within the past five months. Araya noted that when he makes a final table, he tends to win. He has no other final table appearances nor cashes on his record during that time, which means he s three for three in wins when making it to the final nine. Based on his record and the way he s playing, be on the lookout for Abe Araya. He s not finished yet.

3 This was the seventh of 12 gold ring events on the WSOP Circuit schedule at Caesars Atlantic City. Officially listed as Event #7 -- the $555 buy-in No-Limit Hold em tournament attracted 286 entries. The total prize pool came to $138,710. The top 30 players were paid. All players who cashed received WSOP Circuit National Championship ranking points. A full list of all players who cashed in Event #7 can be seen at WSOP.COM The tournament was played over two consecutive days, starting on a Thursday. Only 21 survivors took seats on the second day of action, played on Friday. Following the first three hours of play on Day Two, the final table was set. The ten finalists and their starting chip counts were as follows: SEAT 1: Chris Alkitis (St. Louis, MO) 204,000 in chips SEAT 2: Abraham Araya (Carrollton, TX) 349,000 in chips SEAT 3: Joseph DeSanto (New York, NY) 388,000 in chips SEAT 4: Mark Wahba (Cleveland, OH) 170,000 in chips SEAT 5: Leo Whitt (New York, NY) 152,000 in chips SEAT 6: Justin Turner (Manassas, VA) 393,000 in chips SEAT 7: Wooyang Lin (Morristown, NJ) 411,000 in chips SEAT 8: Amanda Musumeci (Philadelphia, PA) 380,000 in chips SEAT 9: Mike Wolf (New York, NY) 201,000 in chips SEAT 10: Austen Johnson (Greensboro, NC) 785,000 in chips The final table featured only one former WSOP Circuit gold ring winner Abe Araya. The early chip leader was Austen Johnson. He was up by nearly a 2 to 1 margin over his closest threat. But Johnson would ultimately go out in a relatively disappointing sixth-place finish. The official order of finish was as follows: 10 th Place Mark Wahba, a 26-year-old part-time poker player from Cleveland, OH finished in tenth place. 9 th Place Leo Whitt, a 54-year-old CPA from New York City finished in ninth place. He cashed in two events at last year s WSOP making the money in the Main Event as well as the final table of the record-setting Seniors World Championship. 8 th Place Chris Halkitis, a 26-year-old student from St. Louis, MO finished in eighth place. 7 th Place Justin Turner, a 24-year-old golf caddie and basketball referee from Manassas, VA finished in seventh place. 6 th Place Austen Johnson, a 29-year-old poker pro from Greensboro, NC finished in sixth place. 5 th Place Joseph DeSanto, a 39-year-old restaurant owner from Brooklyn, NY ended up in fifth place. He s previous won a major event held at the Borgata Atlantic City. But this was his first time to cash in a WSOP-related tournament. 4 th Place Amanda Musumeci, a 27-year-old poker pro from Philadelphia, PA finished in fourth place. This was her second final table appearance within the past month, and third time to cash this season. Musumeci finished 62 nd in last year s WSOP Main Event Championship, which paid $131,000.

4 3 rd Place Mike Wolf, a 23-year-old poker pro from New York City, finished in third place and pocketed $14, nd Place Wooyanf Boxing Glove Lin finished as the runner up. He is a semi-pro poker player from Morristown, NJ who previously worked as an engineer. Second place paid $20,573 in prize money. 1 st Place Abraham Araya, from Carrollton, TX became the seventh WSOP Circuit champion crowned this year at Caesars Atlantic City. He won $33,290 for the victory. The part-time poker player who works in the airline industry was also presented with his second gold ring. At present, Brandon Croft retains the top spot on the leader board in this WSOP Circuit s Best All-Around Player standings. The player who accumulates the most overall points in Caesar s Atlantic City s twelve combined gold ring tournaments receives a pre-paid entry into the $1 million WSOP Circuit National Championship. At least two players from this tournament series will qualify for the WSOP Circuit National Championship, which is classified as a WSOP gold bracelet event. The other automatic qualifier will be the winner of Main Event championship (to be held March 10-12). Here is the list of gold ring winners from Caesars Atlantic City, so far: EVENT #1: Michael McGuiness defeated 667 players ($345 NLHE) and won $39,790 EVENT #2: Sarah Dygert defeated 887 players ($345 NLHE) and won $50,333 EVENT #3: Brandon Croft defeated 253 players ($555 NLHE) and won $30,062 EVENT #4: Ali Navid defeated 495 players ($345 NLHE) and won $30,969 EVENT #5: Brandon Croft defeated 263 players ($555 NLHE) and won $31,250 EVENT #6: Keith Binder defeated 369 players ($345 6-NLHE) and won $23,623 EVENT #7: Abe Araya defeated 286 players ($555 NLHE) and won $33,290 With the seventh tournament now wrapped up, there are five more gold ring events remaining in what is being billed as a 12 rings in 12 days poker series. The WSOP Circuit at Caesars Atlantic City continues through March 12 th. This year s schedule includes not only all the gold ring events, but multiple second-chance tournaments, single table and mega satellites, plus cash games going around the clock inside the action-packed poker room.. MORE ABOUT THE WSOP CIRCUIT AT CAESARS ATLANTIC CITY The World Series of Poker Circuit is taking place at Caesars Atlantic City, one of the East Coast s premier gaming and entertainment destinations. Indeed, this marks the seventh consecutive season that Caesars Atlantic City has hosted a WSOP Circuit stop. The luxurious casino resort has been a flagship of poker action since the first WSOP tournament took place, back in This year s 12 Rings in 12 Days series is taking place March As has been the case for all previous major poker events, all action is held inside an expansive grand ballroom located on the second floor, adjacent to the main casino. In past years, the entire ballroom has been packed to capacity with players, as many of Caesars Atlantic City s events have sold out. Attendance for Atlantic City s WSOP tournaments has consistently remained high, despite the spread of poker and tournaments to other venues in nearby states and plenty of healthy competition throughout the Northeast.

5 This will be the 12th of 17 stops of the World Series of Poker Circuit season. Just three months ago, Harrah's Atlantic City hosted the first of two New Jersey appearances by the WSOP Circuit and its players. Attendance surpassed what many observers were projecting, which leads one to believe a repeat of a successful tournament series is inevitable. Aside from great poker tournament action and live games, there s plenty to do on the Jersey Shore during March. The casino-resort is located adjacent to the world most famous Boardwalk on the Atlantic Ocean. While the WSOP is in town, Atlantic City is hosting its famous Restaurant Week, which is a seven-day celebration of great cuisine. Atlantic City Restaurant Week takes place March Many restaurants within a short distance of Caesars Atlantic City are participating in the food and wine festival. There's a lot at stake for poker players who will make their way to the Jersey Shore. Not only are a dozen gold rings up for grabs, lots of prize money will also be awarded to those who cash. All players who finish in the money will also earn ranking points, which are used to determine finalists for the season-ending WSOP Circuit National Championship. Since the season began in September, all tournament players have been in the running for 100 guaranteed pre-paid seats in the $1 million WSOP Circuit National Championship finale which will be a WSOP gold bracelet event to be played in Las Vegas, around the time of the World Series of Poker. To see the complete Caesars Atlantic City tournament schedule, please visit WSOP.com. Stay tuned to WSOP.com for the latest reports and updates from Caesars Atlantic City. WSOP.com will carry a LIVE VIDEO STREAM of every final table, starting most afternoons. Note: Be sure and follow all WSOP news and updates on For more information about the World Series of Poker Circuit, please contact: Nolan Dalla (WSOP Media Director) at (702) nolandalla@aol.com Or visit official website: